You Had It Coming by B M CarollI

I love the title of this book and the fact that this alone, pulls you into the book and makes you ask so many questions. It implies that this book will be about punishment or revenge, but we are immediately pulled in to question who is going to be on the receiving end, what the punishment or revenge will be, and why it is being done. The dark red and black colours obviously too have their own connotations which fit in with the storyline of this book, such as danger, passion and death. Overall, a very striking and thought-provoking cover!

Blurb:

WOULD YOU SAVE THE MAN WHO DESTROYED YOUR LIFE?

When paramedic Megan Lowe is called to the scene of an attempted murder, all she
can do is try to save the victim. But as the man is lifted onto a stretcher, she realises
she knows him. She despises him. Why should she save his life when he destroyed
hers?

Jess Foster is on her way home when she receives a text from Megan. Once best
friends, the two women haven’t been close for years, not since the night when they
were just the teenage girls whom no-one believed; whose reputations were ruined. All
Jess can think is, you had it coming.

Now Megan and Jess are at the centre of a murder investigation. But what secrets are
they hiding? Can they trust one another? And who really is the victim?

My thoughts:

The opening of the book pulled me in straight away. There is no time for messing around, and we are immediately confronted with the shocking and violent death of William, told from the point of view of paramedic Megan, but later fleshed out with more detail by the police inspector Bridget.

Therefore, as a reader you are immediately thrown into the story and you can see suspicion all around. Despite being a dead man from the opening pages, William plays a central role in the book and we find that he has more enemies than friends. But who would really want to see him dead?

This is definitely a book of two halves. During the first half, the author works hard to create a sense of place and develop our understanding of the main characters and their lives, both in the present and 12 years ago, which establishes their connection to William Newson.

I had my suspicions about who was involved but I could not say for certain, so I was eager to uncover the true details of this suspicious death. I particularly enjoyed reading Bridget’s point of view and I believe she came across as a hard-working and likeable characrter.

There are some triggering topics dealt with in this book: consent and sexual abuse among them. However, I feel that the author dealt with these in a sensitive and sophisticated way, especially by showing the impact this has had on Jess and Megan after many years, and the way Bridget strives for answers.

Overall, this has been an thought-provoking and compelling read which I have enjoyed.